Daily Telegraph letters

Sir - I write with regard to juries being informed of convictions of people standing charged with child sex offences, and in expectation of howls of protest from defence solicitors (News, Oct 26).

About four years ago, as a detective constable, I investigated allegations of indecent assault on two children, both under eight years old. On arresting the suspect, who had previous convictions for similar offences, I seized his home computer and sent it for examination.

One of the points that the man relied on during interview was that he had no sexual interest in children, something that would have been relayed to a jury and could not be contested by revealing his past convictions.

The result of the examination of the computer showed there were indecent images of children contained on the hard drive. Accordingly, the suspect was charged with indecent assault and possession of indecent images of children. At any trial, these would have been dealt with at the same time and a jury considering the indecent assault would then have had corroborative evidence of his sexual interest in small children. A guilty plea was entered and the offender was imprisoned for five years.

However, consider a scenario in which, for some reason, his computer had been seized and examined prior to the assault examinations coming to light and he had been convicted. The disclosure of abuse is then given by the children.

As the possession of the images is now a previous conviction, this is not disclosable to a jury and he might well have escaped conviction, as the prosecution would have had to rely solely on the evidence of small children, all other things being now inadmissible.

One of the most important pieces of evidence in cases where the victims are often very young would be that the defendant has a sexual interest in children. That such information is currently kept from a jury is not in the interests of justice.

Name and address supplied

Sir - The Government is acting more Tory than the Conservatives did when they were in power. Judges are dictated to by lawbooks on what they can and cannot tell a jury, not by a government.

As a former policeman, I know that the quickest way to impair a fair trial and have a jury lack objectivity is by disclosing such information as previous convictions. We have the fairest legal system anywhere in the world and, for that to stay the case, the onus of proof must remain with the prosecution in criminal cases, without prejudice to the accused.

Bob Miller, Chelmsford, Essex

Pay the full-time mother what she's worth

Sir - As a graduate in modern languages who has chosen full-time motherhood and management of the household as a career option, I was interested by your report on working mothers (News, Oct 26). The research discovered that, not surprisingly, it would take £20,000 to replace the services I provide. Can this fact be recognised and full-time mothers be financially rewarded accordingly?

Twenty thousand a year would go far in raising the self-esteem of today's full-time mothers and eliminate that eternal triangle of conflict for the working mum: work/childcare/home.

Women should, of course, have choice. If they wish to stay in the paid workplace and delegate childcare, then hats off to them, they should be applauded, for that is no easy option and involves many sacrifices. Equally, however, if today's mothers conclude that their skills are best employed in the home, in a nurturing role, then surely they should not be penalised or viewed in the demeaning light that the word "housewife" seems to convey.

Surely, it is erroneous to believe that today's full-time mother is wasting her education and skills by staying at home. What skills are being referred to? Obviously not her nurturing and organisational ones. Isn't she, after all, investing her time and emotion in the most important job of all - raising the future generation? I have learned through living and working in Japan that our Japanese counterparts value this role very highly, and that the word "housewife" is a more prestigious tag.

If today's housewife and mother feels that, to get it right, she should be the one to bear direct influence on the intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of her child, and, likewise, to impart her own ethical and cultural values, rather than risk handing it over to someone who may not be as capable or prepared to invest the same degree of time and energy, then surely that full-time mother should be applauded too - and rewarded.

Jane Caton, Bickley, Kent

Fragile history

Sir - With reference to your story about the contamination of government archives with asbestos (News, Oct 25), this is not the only contaminant or situation that will deprive this country of many of its most precious archives. Too little attention has been paid to the question of the maintenance of archives, many of which are lying in unsuitable conditions in which they are bound to deteriorate beyond the point at which they can be used.

From my own experience at Keston Institute, where we hold the most complete archive of religious samizdat publications (dissenting literature published secretly in a totalitarian state) in the world for the period 1959-1991, there has been no enthusiasm by outside funders for the maintenance of these records and the lifespan, given the circumstances in which they were produced, is very limited.

It will require millions of pounds to ensure that the very recent history of this and other countries is maintained in circumstances that will ensure that future historians can examine the original documents and not just interpretations that have been placed upon them by others in the limited time that was available to look at them.

You claim that Mr Buttiglione would not translate his private prejudices - which extend to women as well as homosexuals - into public policy. Since he attempted, during the drafting of the new constitution, actually to strike out sexual orientation as a ground for protection against discrimination under EU law, we are entitled to have doubts.

However, my objections to Mr Buttiglione's candidacy go wider, and challenge his fitness to fulfil the duties of commissioner for cross-border law enforcement, asylum and immigration as well as civil liberties.

He has proved himself, as a member Silvio Berlusconi's government, in non-respect for the rule of law. That government is breaching the UN Refugee Convention by deporting migrants without determining whether they qualify as refugees. It held up agreement on the European Arrest Warrant which cuts red tape in getting criminal and terrorist suspects before the courts, and now Italy is the only country which has not implemented it.

In addition, that government has passed laws that have been criticised in Italy for protecting Berlusconi and others from fraud and corruption charges. Are MEPs being extremist or responsible when we say the fox should not be in charge of the chicken coop?

The incoming president of the commission, José Manuel Barroso, has in effect conceded that Mr Buttiglione is incapable of carrying out the full duties of the justice post. As this man's continuing gaffes undermine his credibility to be a commissioner at all, it is perhaps time to accept his reported offer of resignation before he brings the whole European Union into further disrepute.

Sir - The several appreciations penned in memory of Bill Nicholson (Obit, Oct 25; Sport, Oct 26) failed to mention one important feature of his tenure as Spurs manager. That was the fierce but friendly rivalry that grew up between cosmopolitan Spurs and cloth-capped Burnley. In contesting the league championship and the FA Cup, the two clubs set a standard that had their fans in raptures. If Spurs proved the stronger, they had to admit that there was but the smallest of quality gaps between them and their Lancashire rivals.

I surely cannot be alone when, in looking back to those fascinating encounters, I remember that their meetings were not tarnished by the approach and behaviour we see from their 2004 equivalents, to wit, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Geoff Whitworth, Fleetwood, Lancs

Sir – The announcement by the sports minister, Richard Caborn, that he will look into the running of English football by the FA is to be warmly welcomed (Sport, Oct 25).

The handling of the Beckham affair – insufficient evidence to proceed despite his admission of unsporting behaviour - and the Mutu case - offer him counselling and procrastinate – are further examples of the ineptitude of the FA in dealing effectively with major disciplinary breaches. The world governing body of football, Fifa, as custodian of the integrity of the game, should also intervene to restore sanity to this Alice in Wonderland situation.

Sir – Forewarned by Christopher Howse of an upcoming solecism in his piece on grammar (Opinion, Oct 26), I spotted it early, in paragraph three, which began, "With this in mind, the sun came out…", and read on so smugly that I missed the intended one that came later.

Professor A. D. P. Briggs, Brinkworth, Wilts

Life is punk

Sir – In Words by Paul Dickson (Arrow Books, 1982) there is included "the definitive work on punk" (Letters, Oct 25). The list of definitions covers seven pages and includes such diverse sources as: bread (pre-war army slang); driftwood (Australia); a harlot (Shakespeare); charred wood (firefighting); a fungus (polyporus fomentarius); a young elephant; a Chinese insect repellant; a form of cigar; and, of course, the more familiar associations with 1970s music and style.